Global Information4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron information
 | This article cites its sources but does not provide page references. (August 2023) |
| 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Members of the 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron in front of a MiG-21F-13 Fishbed C/E, "85 Red", USAF serial 014. This airframe is now displayed at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida. | |
| Active | 1 May 1980–15 July 1990 |
| Disbanded | Last sorties on 4 March 1988. |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Flight/Squadron |
| Role | Foreign Technology Evaluation |
| Garrison/HQ | Air Force Flight Test Center (Detachment 3), Nevada Tonopah Test Range Airport, Nevada |
| Nickname(s) | Red Eagles |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gaillard Peck George Gennin |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron. Regular Patch |  |
| Emblem of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (Subdued or camouflaged) |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23. |
| Trainer | Northrop T-38 Talon |
| Transport | Cessna 404, Mitsubishi MU-2 |
The 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (4477 TES) was a squadron in the United States Air Force under the claimancy of the Tactical Air Command (TAC). It is currently inactive.[1] The product of Project Constant Peg, the unit was created to expose the tactical air forces to the flight characteristics of fighter aircraft used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War.[2] The declassified history of the squadron shows that it operated MiG-17s, MiG-21s and MiG-23s between 1977 and 1988, but it was not formally disbanded until July 1990.[3]
The mission of Constant Peg was to train Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps pilots and weapon systems officers, in air combat tactics against these foreign aircraft and was instrumental in the re-development of dissimilar air combat training (DACT) methods developed after the Vietnam War. Today's USAF aggressor training squadrons can symbolically trace their histories back to the 4477th, as well as the paint motifs on their aircraft, which were used by the aircraft of the squadron in the 1970s and 1980s.
- ^ Davies 2008, Chapter 14: Arrival Shows, 1988.
- ^ Davies 2008.
- ^ Davies 2008, p. 328.